Seating structure with foam embedded reinforcement frame

ABSTRACT

A metal frame for a foam body seating structure having a base and back and supports which extend upwardly from the base. The metal frame is embedded in the foam body and has load resisting bars therein which extend between the base and the back of the seating structure and which also extend between the arms and the base of the seating structure. The load resisting bars have web portions which provide effective load resistance, and wires are provided which interconnect the load bars and form an outline of the desired shape of the foam body.

United States Patent 1 Niewulis SEATING STRUCTURE WITII FOAM EMBEDDED REINFORCEMENT FRAME [75] Inventor: Albin J. Niewulis, Hickory, N.C.

[73] Assignee: Hoover Ball and Bearing Company,

Saline, Mich.

[22] Filed: Apr. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 246,826

Primary Examiner.lames T. McCall Assistant Examiner-Kenneth J. Dorner Attorney-Olsen & Stephenson [57] ABSTRACT A metal frame for a foam body seating structure having a base and back and supports which extend upwardly from the base. The metal frame is embedded in the foam body and has load resisting bars therein which extend between the base and the back of the seating structure and which also extend between the arms and the base of the seating structure. The load resisting bars have web portions which provide effective load resistance, and wires are provided which interconnect the load bars and form an outline of the desired shape of the foam body.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a chair constructed ac- In producing a foam bodied contoured seating struc- 5 cording to this invention-is shown in FIG, 1 as including ture, foam is molded over a reinforcing frame. The frame must provide support to the foam body and flexible comfort to the seating structures occupant. Past practice has been to use wood reinforcement in molded foam seating structures of this type. Also, it is known to provide a tubular metal frame for reinforcement in seating structures, as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,100. The wood is unreliable and lacks the requisite strength and the tubular frame is an inefficient use of metal which results in either a weak chair or one that is overweight. The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a seating structure consisting of a foam body with an embedded frame that is constructed to provide the requisite strength in a relatively lightweight structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a metal frame which can be embedded within the foam body of a seating structure having a base, a back, and arms. The frame has at least one load bar running through the base of the seat and then through the back of the seat at an obtuse angle to the base. The bar has a web portion which resiliently inhibits changes in the obtuse angle between base and back and thus carries the seating loads. In the preferred embodiment, two load bars are provided in the base and back of the seat and each bar, is of channel shape so that it has two webs. I

The frame also has another load bar which is secured to the first two and runs through the base and then runs at obtuse angles from the base through both arms of the seating structure. This load bar is channel shape so that it also has web portions which resiliently inhibit variance in the angle between the base and the arms of the seating structure. Wire struts are used to interconnect the load bars in such a fashion as to transmit load forces therebetween and conform to the shape of the foam body. The seating structure is made by molding the foam body over the frame to form the desired contoured seating structure.

Because of the unique configuration of the load bars and the frame into which they are incorporated, the resulting seating structure can provide desired rigidity without adversely affecting seating comfort and cost. The unique frame is also simple, lightweight and readily adaptable for contoured, modernistic furniture.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly chair which incorporated the unique seating structure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the seating structure as seen along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with some parts broken away for purposes of clarity;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seating structure with portions of the foam body removed to show internal detail; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 of one of the load bars which comprises part of the seating structure.

a seating structure 12 mounted on a leg assembly 14. The seating structure 12 has a foam rubber body l3 molded to form a base or seat 16, arms 18, and a back 22. The foam body 13 is molded over a frame 24 (FIG. 3).

The frame 24 is configured to provide resilient support to the foam body 13 and thus to an occupant of the seat structure 12. The frame 24 comprises two backbase load bars 26 and 28 and an arm-base load bar 30 which are secured together by any suitable means, such as welding, so that the bar 30 extends across the bars 26 and 28. Wires 32 are secured to and extend between the load bars so as to transmit load forces therebetween, there being sufficient wires 32 located in positions to form a frame 24 having a skeleton shape conforming closely to the desired final shape for the structure 12.

Each of the load bars is constructed so that it has at least one web or flange disposed in a vertical plane since such a web will effectively resist the seating loads to which the bar is subjected. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the load bars 26 and 28 are identical and are disposed in a spaced parallel relation. The load bar 26 is a channel shaped bar as seen in FIG. 4, with a channel base 34 and side webs or flanges 36 and 38. The load bar 26 is shaped so that it has a base portion 40 and a back portion 42 which form an obtuse angle at their juncture. The upper ends 29 of bars 26 and 28 are located near the upper end 31 of the seat back 22. Because of the side webs 36 and 38, the load bar resiliently resists flexing at the juncture when subjected to seating loads, such as when the occupant leans back against the back 22 of the seating structure 12.

The arm-base load bar 30 is likewise channel shaped.

The load bar 30 is shaped so that it has an intermediate portion 46 embedded in the foam base 16 and end portions 48 which project upwardly into the foam arms 18. The portions-46 of the load bar 30 is connected to the load bars 26 and 28 at right angles. The bar portions 48 maintain the arms 18 in desired positions with respect to the base 16 even-when arms 18 are subjected to heavy loads such as when the chair occupant is getting out of the chair.

Wires 32 are connected to the load bars 26, 28 and 30 by any suitable means so as to interconnect the load bars 26, 28 and 30 and to provide secondary interstitial support to the foam body 13.

Once the frame is configured with the load bars 26, 28 and 30 and the wires 32 are affixed as desired, the foam body 13 is molded over the frame 24 (FIG. 2). A space 50 is provided beneath the seat 16 and a base plate 52 is located therein and secured to the load bars 26 and 28. The base plate 52 mounts the leg assembly 14 to the frame 24. By virtue of the ease of mounting of the base plate 52 on the load bars 26 and 28, either by welding or other conventional means, a wide variety of base plates can be used to enable the assembly of a variety of different leg assemblies 14 with the frame 24. Thus a seating structure which is simple, lightweight and resilient can be provided by use of the embeddable frame structure 24 of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a seat structure which includes an integral foam body having a base and upright arm and back supports which extend upwardly from said base, a frame embedded in said body comprising a first load bar disposed within said base and extending upwardly into said back support to a position near the upper end thereof, said load bar extending front to rear in said base from a position adjacent the front edge of the base, said load bar having at least one perpendicularly extending flange portion extending substantially the full length thereof to resist seating loads acting conjunctively on said back support and said base and disposed in a first upright plane, a second load bar disposed within said base and having end sections which project upwardly into said arm supports, said second load bar being secured to said first load bar and having at least one perpendicularly extending flange portion extending substantially the full length thereof to resist seating loads acting conjunctively on said arm supports and said base and disposed in a second upright plane which is substantially perpendicular to said first upright plane.

2. The embedded frame that is defined in claim 1 fur-' bar and secured to said second load bar.

* l I l 

1. In a seat structure which includes an integral foam body having a base and upright arm and back supports which extend upwardly from said base, a frame embedded in said body comprising a first load bar disposed within said base and extending upwardly into said back support to a posiTion near the upper end thereof, said load bar extending front to rear in said base from a position adjacent the front edge of the base, said load bar having at least one perpendicularly extending flange portion extending substantially the full length thereof to resist seating loads acting conjunctively on said back support and said base and disposed in a first upright plane, a second load bar disposed within said base and having end sections which project upwardly into said arm supports, said second load bar being secured to said first load bar and having at least one perpendicularly extending flange portion extending substantially the full length thereof to resist seating loads acting conjunctively on said arm supports and said base and disposed in a second upright plane which is substantially perpendicular to said first upright plane.
 2. The embedded frame that is defined in claim 1 further including a plurality of wires structurally interconnecting said load bars so as to transmit load forces therebetween, said wires being arranged in contoured conformity with said foam body.
 3. The frame according to claim 2 further including another load bar like said first load bar arranged in a substantially parallel spaced relation with said first load bar and secured to said second load bar. 